


Methods of Making Coffee (With Love)

by AKnightOfAGoodKing



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Alcohol, Coffee, Family, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Other, Teaching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29398047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKnightOfAGoodKing/pseuds/AKnightOfAGoodKing
Summary: Since being banned from buying Blue-Eyes Mountain at Le Cafe Geen, Jack has learned how to make his own coffee, and since then, he has shared caffeine filled moments with his brothers.Or: a dedication to Kizuna, Jack, and coffee! ^^[DO NOT REPOST/REUSE MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PERMISSION]
Relationships: Jack Atlas/Crow Hogan, Jack Atlas/Fudou Yuusei, Jack Atlas/Fudou Yuusei/Crow Hogan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Dalgona - Cold Press

**Author's Note:**

> I love you, Jack Atlas.

> **Dalgona**

One part instant coffee, one part hot water, one part sugar, put them all together in a cup, and mix it together until it becomes thick like cream. You can spend fifteen to twenty minutes whipping it into shape with a whisk. 

"But it's faster if you just use a milk frother like this one," Jack said, holding up a black, battery-powered equipment. It fit in the palm of his hand, and at the other end was a small, flat beater. It looked like a pen with a long metal tip. 

Tilting the bowl with all the ingredients together (times three for all of them), Jack pressed a button to turn it on, carefully stirring the frother around as the content began to mix. By his sides, Crow and Yūsei watched, both intrigued by how the content started to thicken with high speed. 

On the counter where they all stood by was three cups of milk and ice, prepped ahead of time. It was early morning, and condensation covered the glass, dripping onto the wooden surface of the counter. Jack had chosen to teach this kind of coffee to both of his brothers simultaneously because 1) it was sweet just like how Crow preferred it, and 2) it had milk which Yūsei liked. 

"Cool," Crow said as the mixture got thicker. "It's like cream cheese."

"Something like that," Jack said, eyes not glancing away from his work. Already, it was almost done, just a couple more seconds. 

"And this is popular?" Yūsei asked, leaning against Jack's shoulder just a bit. "It looks like fun."

"It got popular through some internet thing, so I heard about it through Carly. It wasn't difficult to learn, and it has a nice look to it when you're done."

"I like it already," Crow said. "Instant is cheaper."

Jack snorted, offended. "We're learning this for variety, don't expect this only from now on."

He didn't give Crow a chance to rebut when he turned off the frother and placed it on a towel to the side. He picked up a spoon and then scooped three equal amounts of the coffee cream on top of each glass of ice and milk. Due to the different consistency, the cream and the milk didn't mix, and the ice kept the cream afloat. Jack was right, it did have a nice look. It was like something straight from a cafe. 

Pacing the bowl and the spoon into the sink, Jack grabbed some straws, placing one in each cup. "Done," he proclaimed with a smile as he picked up a cup. 

Crow and Yūsei grabbed a cup for themselves, taking a bit of time to admire the coffee. It was just coffee and milk, something like a latte, but Jack was pretty happy about it. 

"Make sure to stir it a bit, or you're just going to finish the milk before you even get to the cream," Jack advised, doing as he said to do. 

"Wait, so what's the point of making it look so nice?" Crow asked in confusion. 

"There is none, it's just to look nice."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It works. People pay almost 500 yen for a cup of this alone." 

Crow nearly dropped his cup. "500 yen?! Coffee is not that important."

"You don't understand, just drink before all the ice melts."

Yūsei hummed, having already mixed his drink and taking a sip. "The taste of coffee is strong," he commented, "and it's pretty sweet." Though he didn't say it, it was obvious it wasn't his kind of coffee. Jack made a mental note of that. 

Crow decided he needed to try it out himself, and he stirred his straw a bit before taking his first sip. Yūsei was right; the taste of coffee was pretty strong and distinct, but it was challenged by the sweetness that the sugar had to offer. The latter was enough for Crow to take an instant liking to it. 

"I like it," he said, still sipping his coffee. "I'll take yours if you don't, Yūsei."

"No way," Jack interjected. "One cup of this is enough. Don't need you to get hopped up on caffeine and sugar."

"I'm not a kid."

"That's not what I said."

"It's what you meant."

"I'm going to finish it," Yūsei said before his brothers could keep going. "It's not too bad. I like the milk."

Jack rolled his eyes. Make him coffee, and he compliments the milk. He finally fixed his drink, taking a sip. He liked this kind too, but as Yūsei said, it wasn't something to drink often. Sugar adjustment was a bit complicated because you needed enough sugar to make it thick and creamy; too little, it became watery, and too much, it was too sweet. 

"Next time, I'll just make instant for you," he said, "and pour a bit into a whole glass of milk for a bit of flavor."

"That sounds like a good idea."

God, Yūsei was serious about that; there was no point of coffee if it was mostly not coffee, was there?

"Jack."

"What, Crow?"

"I finished mine, make me more."

Jack narrowed. "What did I say—" Suddenly, he was being pulled by the shoulders to lean down just as Crow tilted himself up on his toes, and their lips met, tasting a little bitter with a whole lot of sweetness. 

As they kissed, Crow swiped Jack's glass out of his hand, and then he pulled back with a smug smirk. "Mine now!" he said before dashing away with the drink. 

"Crow!" Jack was after him now, running out of the kitchen. 

Yūsei, left alone, continued to sip on his coffee, enjoying the nice, sort of peaceful morning. 

> **Cold Press**

The process was pretty simple: grind two-thirds cup of whole bean to a coarse, rinse the glass beaker of your French press with a bit of cold water, pour in your coffee grinds, and fill the beaker up all the way with cold water and leave about an inch left on top. Use a wooden spoon to make sure all your grinds are soaked, and then place the lid on top and plunge down if needed to ensure that the coffee is submerged. Do not plunge the whole way, and it doesn't need to be placed in the fridge. Leave it to brew for twelve to sixteen hours, no more than twenty-four. Then, plunge the coffee grinds down to the bottom slowly, and finally, it is ready to pour. 

"If you want to do sugar, either melt however much you want with hot water or use sugar syrup," Jack said, pointing to two glasses with a bit of melted sugar water at the bottom. "Now, do you want it hot or cold?" 

"Hmm, hot please," Yūsei answered. He was sitting at the table while Jack was still on his feet. 

"Okay. So the thing to know is that you don't just drink it straight like this."

Jack filled one glass up with ice all the way up. The other he left empty. "Since the brew time is so long, its concentration is higher, so you should treat it like a black coffee, one part cold press, one part water."

As he spoke, he poured out the coffee from the French press to fill up the entire glass of ice. Then he poured out some more into the other cup but only half way. He took that and went to the hot water dispenser, filling up the rest of the way with it. He came back to the table with a spoon and started mixing the components of the cups together one at a time. 

He handed the hot glass to Yūsei before he sat down. Yūsei accepted it, taking account of how hot it was, but it wasn't. It was closer to lukewarm in the way that it didn't burn but there was still a bit of steam. That was nice. 

He took a sip, and there was the taste of coffee that wasn't overpowering with a hint of sweetness. The fragrance was like flowers, which was a nice delight. "I like this," Yūsei said, taking another sip. "Thanks."

"Good to know," Jack replied, sitting back, and he took a slow sip of his glass, a small smile on his lips. "And you're welcome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are coffee methods I've made before; that being said, by no means am I an expert. How the methods are explained in this piece are how I would say it irl. ^^ The Irish coffee is the one I just started on the most recently. I might add more because there are other ways to make coffee that I know about, but for now, I can't really push anything else out, lol. If you've got any questions about the coffee making or have your own methods and whatnot, please share! I'd love to help out and learn more.


	2. Instant - Moka Espresso

> **(Vietnamese 3-in-1) Instant**

Jack really liked doing all the other fancy way of making coffee and liked his coffee fresh. Thing was though that Jack was only allotted an allowance of 4000 yen a month for coffee. He could buy himself one cup of Blue-Eyes Mountain, or he could spend it on buying his own stuff to use. 

Amazingly, he had chosen to do the latter, buying whole beans and coffee equipment. He'd really gotten into it. It was a nice change, being able to keep their budget under control, and Crow wanted to show Jack that he appreciated the effort. Jack was now used to luxury after a while childhood in the Satellite, and some habits died hard and that needed some kind of reward.

So, while he was shopping this morning, Crow bought _this_ at one of the stores: Vietnamese 3-in-1 instant coffee. It was cheap, it was efficient, and it was coffee; Jack would still like it, would it? 

But once he got home, he felt very . . . what's the word . . . regretful, just staring at the half empty paper bag on the table. _Buyer's remorse_ would be the better word. He wanted to do something nice, but he couldn't get really good stuff. Crow felt kind of bad about that, it wasn't what Jack deserved in his opinion. Maybe he should have saved up that leftover money for something else, something much more worthwhile. He sighed, wondering if he could still take it back and return it, but that would waste a trip back to the market. 

"What's the matter with you?' 

Crow nearly jolted, caught by surprise the voice by his ear. He looked over his shoulder, annoyed. "Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that," he said, crossing his arms. 

Jack rolled his eyes. "I knew you'd say that. What's that?" He peered into the bag, picking out the instant coffee, and he raised a brow. "Did you get this for yourself? It's sweet enough for your taste." 

Crow pursed his lips, deciding whether or not to tell the truth. He sighed again. "No. I got it for you actually." He felt his face grow warm, embarrassed. "There was some money left over from the shopping so I thought I'd get you a little something . . . I know it's not really to your standard, so if you don't want it, I can take it back."

Jack blinked twice, and his purple eyes softened, putting the instant coffee back onto the table. Then he wrapped an arm over Crow's shoulders, pulling him closely, and their lips were touching the way leaves of a tree touched, caressing in the rhythm of the breeze. 

"I love you," he voiced out, expressing in words what his friend expressed in action. There was a smile on his lips, small and genuine. 

Crow's face was still warm, but now his heart was beating in his ears now. "I know," he replied, smiling back. 

They broke out the bag soon after that, something before lunch. It was really easy to make: add hot water until it was a light brown color. If you wanted it cold, use only enough hot water to melt the mixture and pour over ice. 

As Jack said, Crow liked it, but it wasn't him who continued to buy it whenever the bag ran out.

> **Moka Espresso**

Jack would've bought a 6-cup maker, but they rarely had guests who liked or could even drink coffee. So he got himself the 2-cup espresso instead. It was stainless steel with a black plastic handle, and it took him less than ten minutes to make himself a fresh cup. 

It was pretty simple to use but can easily be messed up if you're not paying attention. Pour water in the water tank until it reached right below the safety value. Grind the whole beans (Jack preferred dark roast) into a fine grind and fill up the filter basket. Put them together and secure the upper chamber tightly enough so that water doesn't leak when it boils. Place it over the stove at a medium to low heat and wait. Keep an eye out for it for the next five to seven minutes. When you start to hear a faint gruggling noise, the coffee should be filling up the upper chamber, so before it fills up the whole way, remove it from the heat. 

(Leave it for too long and the coffee itself will boil over, producing a very bitter taste. Note that the output of coffee will not equal to the input of water as the last bit of the coffee produced will have a lot of coffee grounds.)

Once the espresso is done, it can be mixed with any combination of sugar, water, and milk, but Jack liked it plain. The bean itself was rich and flavorful enough so if he kept a close watch, it would produce a perfect morning cup. 

That was why, when Jack made coffee like this, he stood by the stove to act at a moment's notice, reading a magazine to help pass the time. And often a pair of arms would come up from behind and wrap around his middle, cheek pressed against his back. Like today.

Yūsei breathed in deeply as he tightening his hold, being oddly cuddly. "Hey," he said, 

"Hey," Jack said in return, putting down his magazine on the kitchen counter and placing a hand over Yūsei's. 

They stood there quietly as Jack continued to wait, gently rubbing his thumb across Yūsei's skin. Moments later, Jack turned off the heat but didn't tell Yūsei to let go just yet. The espresso needed to rest for a minute.

Instead, he turned himself around, facing Yūsei, and without a word, their lips meet. Just as Jack liked to start his day with coffee, Yūsei liked to do so with a kiss, needing at least one fix a day if he could. He was addicted. He hummed when they pulled apart and finally slipped away, maybe to wake Crow up with another fix. They had done nothing but enabled his habit. 

Smiling to himself, Jack turned back to the moka and carefully poured out the coffee into a plain white espresso cup which sat snugly in its saucer. It smelled wonderful, and he had his first sip. 

It tasted like a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Discord friend of mine told me she never had a event cup of instant coffee, so heed my advice: try the Vietnamese 3-in-1 instant coffee. I really have no idea what Western/American instant coffee is like, but I know the Viet one don't disappoint. Literally just add water, it already has creamer and sugar in it. Y'all really never had this stuff, omgs.


	3. Turkish Coffee - French Press

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout to REDAC for the second one!

> **Turkish Coffee**

It takes about five minutes; fill a cup with water and pour it out into your cerve, add sugar and finely grounded coffee according to your taste and the size of your cup. Jack used a cup that was typical for this method, a cylindrical 70mL porcelain piece, adding a small scoop of sugar and a spoonful of fine grounds. Do not stir yet. 

Putting the cerve directly on the stove fire on medium heat, he picked up his book and the page he left off on. Already, he could hear it boiling, the coffee grinds slowly sinking to the bottom. He stopped at the last paragraph of the page before going back to his coffee, using a small spoon to slowly stir the mixture. He did so for about a minute, glancing at the stove clock. No longer needed, he rinsed the spoon and put it up to dry on the dish rack, and he went back to his book. 

Three pages later, he picked the cerve off the stove and slowly poured the content back into his cup, a brown, but he didn't pour all of it, only half. He placed it back on the fire and read one more page. 

Finally, it was done; the heat was turned off, and he poured out the rest of the coffee into his cup, as slowly as the first time. It was full now as it started. This had all been a quiet process, and Crow hadn't stopped staring, hadn't moved from his place on the counter where he rested his chin on his palm. 

"Are you done?" Jack asked, placing a hand at his hip. "You're being weird." 

Crow chuckled, smiling. "I love you," he said, no prompt, no rush, no one else but _Jack_.

The blond huffed. It was new to hear that coming from either of his brothers, but always, it hit him like the first time he heard it. Picking up his cup, after giving the grounds some time to settle to the bottom, Jack took a slow sip, and it was sweet without overpowering the coffee, just how he liked it. 

"I love you," he replied, porcelain pressed against his bottom lip, and he glanced over to Crow who was still staring, still adoring, still loving.

> **French Press**

Unlike the cold press, you drink this one straight away. The coffee is still grinded to a coarse but at half cup, and instead of rinsing the beaker with cold water, you use hot. Pour the coffee grounds into the beaker and add hot water a fifth of the way within thirty seconds to let the coffee "bloom." This would be done with a gooseneck kettle, but a spoon works well enough to make sure all the grounds are soaked. After the first thirty seconds, fill the rest of the beaker with more hot water, up to a five-sixth of the way up. Place the plunger on top, but don't press yet; the whole brewing process takes a total of four minutes altogether. 

So, once the next three minutes and a half passes, press the plunger down nice and slow. Then it's done, ready to pour into a cup with one or two spoonful of sugar, or nearly a whole cup of milk. 

"This is popular in Italy," Jack said as he filled the rest of Yūsei's cup with the French press coffee. They stood closely side-by-side at the kitchen counter. "For children." 

Yūsei didn't seemed fazed by the comment, content with his drink. "Then I'm a child," he said, not caring. He paused, taking something into consideration. "I'm baby." 

Jack choked on a laugh, trying not to roll his eyes. Yūsei was pulling the same kind of face Crow did whenever he was being playful. Who learned that from who was a good question. 

"Why is that cute?" Jack asked, mainly to himself, as he poured himself his cup of coffee. His cup had sugar in it as well, which melted under the heat of the freshly brewed coffee.

Unlike the cold press, this didn't need water to be added because it was made diluted. If done right, it shouldn't be too heavy or bitter, the liquid like a dark garnet. 

Yūsei shrugged, bumping their shoulders together, and placed a hand over Jack's on the kitchen counter. At the first sip of his coffee-flavored milk, he hummed, squeezing Jack's hand gently.

Jack took a slow sip of his cup, savoring the taste of the coffee as he breathed in its scent, and he squeezed back, their fingers intertwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably can't add anymore, not for a long time at least. Becuase Jack and I are what I call a poor man's barista becuase pour overs have expensive equipment. =~= I haven't gotten any of them yet due to cost and lack of space, lol. 
> 
> Answer to Jack's question, "Why is that cute?" (Rated T) 
> 
> Crow: Oh, it's called love.  
> Crow: Tighty whities? Most unsexiest thing in the world.  
> Crow: But if _Jack_ was wearing them? I suddenly moved all my plans for the next hour or two.  
> Crow: I've been messed up ever since I realized that. >:|


	4. Irish Creme - Vietnamese Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really a new chapter, more like I rearranged an older part and added one new one.

> **Irish Creme**

This recipe calls for two ounces of whiskey, (brown) sugar, and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. For the creme, using a small whisk, Jack lightly whipped the heavy cream until it was thicker. It shouldn't be thick like the Dolgona but not watery either. With that, he put it all together, stirring the whiskey, the coffee, and the sugar before pouring in the cream to sit at the very top. Unlike the Dolgona, this wasn't one to mix; you get that with every sip. 

Having made another perfect cup of coffee, Jack took in the moment, leaning back against the counter while silently thanking Trudge again for the bottle of Jameson. It was a pricey bottle, but the commissioner wasn't an extreme drinker. He said he wouldn't be able to finish two whole bottles all by himself, so he came over to give it to Jack, citing, "You're an adult, I'm sure you can handle yourself." It was true, he could; while he was king of Neo Domino, Jack had learned about alcohol and how to drink it from all the parties he'd gone to, and he had taken a liking to it, though he didn't actively go looking. Trudge's gift would be the first bottle he'd had in a while, maybe a little more than half a year, so he was looking forward to savoring his drink, and the rest of the bottle. 

He would've too if only Crow didn't come in just then and grabbed Jack's cup out his hand _again_. "Is this coffee with whip cream? I want some!" he said before taking one, two, three _gulps_ of the coffee. "This tastes weird," he said once he lowered the cup. "You actually like this?"

Jack was speechless, blinking in disbelief. To be frank, he was pretty upset because Crow took his drink again, but that could be dealt with later because _concern_ was the number one thing Jack was feeling right now because Crow was smaller in weight, he downed the equivalent of a shot with caffeine, and Jameson, though at the lower end of alcohol content for whiskey, was still _80 proof_. Jack never even asked if Crow ever had alcohol in his entire life before, and he just straight up drank some of the strongest kind there was. "You idiot," he said, slamming a palm on his face. 

No more than ten minutes later, they were on the couch downstairs with Crow laying his head on Jack's thigh, enjoying his first moment of being drunk. He was babbling some stuff to which Jack was paying half attention to as he got back to drinking his coffee, combing his fingers through orange hair. As expected, Crow had no alcohol tolerance and was already drunk. (There was no way Jack was letting him drink without him now.) This wasn't how Jack thought he'd be spending his morning, but he guessed it wasn't too bad. Maybe Crow will learn to stop taking his cup from now on. 

"Jack," Crow slurred, rubbing his face on Jack's pants. "You want to hear a secret?"

"What is it?" Jack asked, rubbing circles on the back of Crow's neck.

There was a pause, and then Crow turned his head, looking up with hazy gray eyes and flushed cheeks. "I love you."

Jack held back a laugh, but he couldn't help but smile. Yeah, not a bad morning. "What if I told you that I already knew that?"

A gasp. "How did you find out?" Crow's tone was scandalous, eyes wide.

A laugh managed to get out this time. "Because I'm Jack Atlas. Everyone knows that Crow Hogan loves Jack Atlas, there's no question about it."

Crow pouted. "Well, I bet you didn't know that I love Yūsei too, ha!"

"Of course, I knew that."

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"I don't believe you. Really, tell me how you knew, Jack."

Jack paused, contemplating. Then he brushed the back of his hand against Crow's warm cheek. "You want the truth? The truth is I already knew because I love you too, the both of you. I learned to love from you."

Crow hummed, smiling widely. "Is that so? We must be good teachers, huh?" 

"Yeah, a bit strict and a little annoying, but you made sure I got back on track."

"About time." Crow turned his head again, pressing his face back on Jack's thigh, and he let out a sigh. "I love you," he said again. 

Jack smiled, the rim of his cup at his lips. "Tell me something I don't know."

> **Vietnamese Coffee**

"What are you doing?" Crow hummed, not turning away from the kitchen counter; the smell of coffee and the sound of metal hitting glass were answer enough, the condense milk mixing as he continued to stir. Off to the side, the phin filter was still warm from the hot water.

Vietnamese coffee was pretty easy to make, but also easy to get wrong. Too much of the milk made it too sweet, too little of the coffee made it too weak. It just needed about two spoonful of the pre-grinded coffee they sold in aluminum cans. Screw the tamper insert in but not too tight, or else it'd take forever fo brew, and place the phin on top of your glass and pour in a bit of hot water to let the coffee bloom. When all the water had filtered through, pour in more hot water to fill the phin. Place the lid on top as you wait. Once it's done, you don't need to add water unless it's too strong; filter it over ice if you want it cold. This kind of coffee Crow was best at, not too complicated and he knew how Jack liked it.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Crow finally replied, hearing Yusei's rhythmic footsteps following into the kitchen/living room. Put his stirring spoon into the sink, he picked up the cup and turned around. "Made you a cup, but you know, you never drink it sweet enough, Jack."

The blond raised an eyebrow, ready to be offended; Jack preferred tasting as much of the coffee as possible, so he kept any additive sparse, especially with the sweetness.

"Jeez, I do something nice for you, and you're giving me that look." Crow rolled his eyes, and he held the glass to his face. "You can see it yourself."

With a smile, Crow pressed the rim of the cup to his lips. It was quick but lingering, the smell of coffee filling his nose.

"Here," he said. "Now it's sweet enough."

Jack, who had front row seats, was blushing pink, flustered by the action, and his mouth was slack. Behind him, Yusei had his face in his hands, needing a moment of his own.

Crow was smiling widely, knowing fully what he had done.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my YGO Tumblr: [@the-kings-of-games](https://the-kings-of-games.tumblr.com)


End file.
